GDC organizer Think Services announced that Klaas Kersting, CEO of German browser game pioneer Gameforge, will keynote the business track at the 2009 Game Developers Conference Europe.

Gameforge is best known for free browser-based RPG Ikariam, and at GDC Europe, he'll give a talk entitled "Changes in the Games Industry - Free-to-play vs. Payment Models," where he'll share his thoughts on the success of the revolutionary free-to-play model Gameforge uses.

In his keynote, Kersting also present the history of Gameforge, the advantages of different payment models, and the differences between Europe and Asia in terms of attitudes toward gaming and cultural backgrounds.

Kersting and Alexander Rosner founded Gameforge in 2003. In addition to Ikariam, the company's responsible for OGame and Metin2 have attracted more than 75 million gamers worldwide.

"Gameforge develops pioneering and groundbreaking technologies in the browser-based game sector, which is driving the whole industry," said event director Frank Sliwka. "GDC Europe is focused on delivering content that appeals to a global audience, while presenting content that represents and showcases the European development community."

Posted by Staff at 4:25 PM | Permalink

[In his first update, Game Developers Conference Europe event director Frank Sliwka welcomes you to his regularly updated comments about the August 17-19 event taking place in Cologne, Germany.]

Today, I would like to start my blog and welcome all of you to my posts about GDC Europe. During the next few weeks, I would like to give you all some impressions about GDC Europe as well as the host city of Cologne.

Since the Think Services Game Group Germany office is located in Berlin, our team travels quite a bit to this beautiful city.

Oftentimes, I have flights from Berlin to Cologne and I can honestly say that the connection from the city of Cologne and the airport is really nice. By train, you can arrive to the convention center in just 12 minutes and with a cab it will take you about 20 minutes (if there are no traffic jams).

Please look out for my future posts where you’ll get an insider’s look on Cologne and our amazing event about to take place in August.

Sincerely,
Frank

[Frank and his colleagues will be posting regular news updates from behind the scenes of GDC Europe, including content reveals and other helpful information. You can subscribe individually to the GDC News blog via its RSS feed.]

Posted by at 11:01 AM | Permalink

After debuting initial free-to-play online game lectures from Sony Online (Free Realms), Gaia Online and Rebel Monkey (CampFu), September's GDC Austin 2009 event has revealed subscription MMO-specific talks spanning Star Wars: The Old Republic, DC Universe Online, EVE Online, and more.

The first set of lectures announced for GDC Austin span the gamut of 'connected games', from traditional high-profile subscription MMOs through free-to-play online games, social network games, and even online components to console games.

The event, to be held September 15th-18th, 2009 at the Austin Convention Center in Texas, now includes six online-centric 'tracks' for the Main Conference, which takes place Wednesday 16th to Friday 18th.

These tracks, which span design, business & marketing, social networking & community, services, programming and production, have a number of lectures focused on the core, AAA subscription-MMO space. Initial highlights from these include:

- BioWare Austin's 'Come and See the Elephant - Challenges Encountered Growing an MMO' will talk about strategies "pertaining to process and technology" that the much-vaunted firm's technical director Bill Dalton utilized in helping to make the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic.

- In 'Why We Need Heroes And Villains In Games', some of the key creators of the upcoming DC Universe Online MMO, including SOE Austin's Chris Cao and Jens Andersen, alongside noted comic book artist and game contributor Jim Lee and DC Comics writer Marv Wolfman, discuss "why... tension between good and evil is so critical -- not only for telling a good story, but for making a video game."

- CCP Games' Petur Johannes Oskarsson is presenting a lecture called 'EVE Online's Player Elected Council Case Study', explaining that the space trading and combat MMO "uses a democratically elected council of 9 community members to get a feel for what the whole wants, where they want EVE to go in the future and how we, players and developers, can get there together." The study will analyze the Council's failures and successes for the past, present and future.

- In 'MMOs to Consoles – Challenges, Opportunities and Emerging Trends', Turbine VP Craig Alexander will talk about the Lord Of The Rings Online creator's view on the console market for major MMOs, with market analysis, commenting that "given the processing power and connectivity of console game systems, the opportunity to transition massively multiplayer online games to the console platform is enormous."

Further announcements and details on lectures for this September's GDC Austin, as well as multiple keynote addresses, will be debuting over the next few weeks.

In addition, GDC Austin will also include its long-running Game Audio and Game Writer Summits, alongside an iteration of the breakout successful Independent Games Summit and the newly introduced iPhone Game Summit, all debuting on September 15-16, 2009 at the same venue.

Full listings of announced lectures, registration information, and other specifics are now available at the official GDC Austin website.

Posted by Staff at 9:45 AM | Permalink

[In her latest Bosslady Blog update, Game Developers Conference China event director Meggan Scavio discusses some of the recent news pertaining to GDC China 2009.]

Yesterday, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) formally issued a notification to regulate animation, comics and game tradeshows/conferences. As of today, the Game Developers Conference China (GDC China), to be held October 11-13 2009 in Shanghai, is the only game development conference approved by the Ministry of Culture.

We've been working closely with the MOC over the last 9 months towards what we both see as a long-term partnership. The GDC China team, along with UBM CEO, David Levin, met in person with the Minister just last week. The MOC minister expressed excitement over a mutually beneficial future between China and the Game Developers Conference (GDC). In addition, the launch of the first ever Independent Games Festival (IGF) in China mirrors a mission of the MOC--to showcase the talent and craft of the Chinese game development community. The MOC recognize our commitment to the local developers and share our desire to create an environment in which studios participate in a voluntary and meaningful manner.

Read the Official Press Release on the Minisistry of Culture's new Policy as well as GDC China's Official Endorsement

GDC China has a few more unannounced surprises so keep a lookout here for updates!

The translation is as follows:

In order to change the current situation that excessive animation, comics and game exhibitions and trading activities are held over the nation (include festival, competition, forum, etc. hereinafter called A.C.G. exhibitions and trading activities) and to ensure healthy development of Chinese A.C.G. industry, The Ministry of Culture recently has issued Notification on Management of A.C.G. Exhibitions and Trading Activities.

The notification specifies the approval procedure for A.C.G. exhibitions and trading activities. Foreign and international A.C.G. exhibitions and trading activities shall be initially approved by provincial culture administration authorities and finally by the Ministry of Culture; other A.C.G. exhibitions and trading activities shall be reported to provincial administration authorities for archiving. Foreign and international A.C.G. exhibitions and trading activities held by central state organs, provincial governments and the units directly under the Ministry of Culture shall be directly reported to the Ministry of Culture for approval by the host unit. Foreign and international A.C.G. exhibitions and trading activities held by the units directly under central state organs shall be directly reported to the Ministry of Culture for approval by the host unit.

It is pointed out in the notification that A.C.G. exhibitions and trading activities held by government shall be strictly controlled and streamlined; the fundamental role of market in resource allocation shall be fully played; unnecessary administrative intervention shall be reduced. The scale and expense of activities held by government must be strictly controlled in the spirit of frugality and efficiency; the government shall not compel enterprise to participate; the scale and content of A.C.G. exhibitions and trading activities shall be in accordance with the function and aptitude of the host; major support shall be given to the innovative and excellent animation or game products that have large influence on the industry and good social demonstration effects; major brand of A.C.G. exhibitions and trading activities shall be established; “China” ,”International” and “National” shall not be adopted in the name of general and local A.C.G. exhibitions and trading activities.

The recent years have witnessed rapid development of the Chinese A.C.G. industry. A.C.G. exhibitions and trading activities are held in many regions of China, which accelerates the growth of the industry. But recently excessive activities add burden to enterprises and waste resources. In some places, foreign groups and individuals are invited without approval; what’s worse, some products displayed contain illegal contents, violating the regulations and jeopardizing the development.

It is also required in the notification that culture administration authorities shall enhance supervision on A.C.G. exhibitions, products and activities. The products that contain illegal and vulgar contents such as pornography and violence shall be eliminated and punished according to law. Culture administration authorities and market enforcement shall stop and punish according to law the A.C.G. exhibition and trading activities that have not been approved by culture administration authorities.

[Meggan and her colleagues will be posting regular news updates from behind the scenes of GDC China, including content reveals and other helpful information. You can subscribe individually to the GDC News blog via its RSS feed.]

Posted by Staff at 10:45 AM | Permalink

Matias Myllyrinne, managing director of Remedy Entertainment, original creators of the acclaimed Max Payne series and the upcoming Alan Wake, has been announced as the second keynote for GDC Europe 2009.

In his keynote address entitled, "From Max Payne to Alan Wake: Creating Intellectual Properties the Remedy Way," Myllyrinne will share the key principles that have guided the company over the years in developing its games.

He will touch on the company's explicit goal to remain small, independent, and passionate about creating new IP, and will try to answer a very important question: how can boutique European studios create large games, compete and succeed in a quickly changing and ever-growing games industry?

As one of the key figures behind the company's success, Myllyrinne is responsible for handling Remedy's business affairs. Since joining the company in 1999, he has helped build Remedy into one of the region's leading independent game developers.

He's also heavily involved with Remedy's upcoming Alan Wake, due to debut exclusively on Xbox 360 in Spring 2010. It follows the writer Alan Wake as he battles dark forces against him and unravels the mystery behind his fiancee's disappearance.

The keynote announcement follows the earlier announcement of a keynote from CCP head Hilmar Petursson, who will be unveiling the studio's next project during his speech on CCP's growth.

In addition, other confirmed speakers for the August event include Flower's Kellee Santiago, who is joining Swords And Soldiers' Joost van Dongen, Zootfly's Bostjan Troha and Black Rock's Eduardo Jimenez at the three-day conference.

"Remedy revolutionized the action genre with Max Payne in 2001," said Frank Sliwka, Vice President European Business Development of Think Services Game Group. "Their keynote exemplifies a success story of high quality games produced in Europe and enjoyed worldwide. We are honored to welcome Myllyrinne to the stage."

GDC Europe will take place August 17-19 this year in Cologne alongside the inaugural GamesCom trade/consumer game event, and more information is available via the official GDC Europe website.

Posted by Staff at 7:12 AM | Permalink

Announcing its initial set of lectures, the online game-focused GDC Austin 2009 event has revealed free-to-play centric lectures from Sony Online (Free Realms), Gaia Online and Rebel Monkey (CampFu) for the September conference.

The first set of lectures announced for GDC Austin span the gamut of 'connected games', from traditional high-profile subscription MMOs through free-to-play online games, social network games, and even online components to console games.

The event, to be held September 15th-18th, 2009 at the Austin Convention Center in Texas, now includes six online-centric 'tracks' for the Main Conference, which takes place Wednesday 16th to Friday 18th.

These tracks, which span design, business & marketing, social networking & community, services, programming and production, have some lectures specially focused on free-to-play, microtransaction-powered games. Initial highlights from these include:

- Craig Sherman, CEO of popular micro-transaction powered site/game Gaia Online, will be discussing this model, in which "consumers play web-based, platform agnostic games for free, while developers attain revenue through microtransactions", with examples from his own company.

- Sony Online's Rosie Rappaport and Sebastian Strzalkowski are discussing the importance of a unified art style for the hit SOE free-to-play title Free Realms, which has already racked up 3 million registered users, noting the importance of a "distinct [art] style that players will associate with the title even when viewed outside the game world."

- Former Disney and current Hangout Industries exec Mike Goslin will take examples from products that he's worked on such as Pixie Hollow, Pirates Of The Caribbean and Toontown Online to detail and describe "10 techniques for engaging teens, drawn from the state of the art of social gaming."

- Rebel Monkey CTO Jeffrey Kesselman will be discussing how the CampFu free-to-play game developer "combined open source technologies to build an industrial strength platform for unified multi-player casual game-play and social web experiences", in a talk called 'The Monkey Wrench: Design and Architecture of an Online Environment'.

Further announcements and details on 'core' subscription MMO-centric lectures for this September's GDC Austin, as well as multiple keynote addresses, will be debuting over the next few weeks.

In addition, GDC Austin will also include its long-running Game Audio and Game Writer Summits, alongside an iteration of the breakout successful Independent Games Summit and the newly introduced iPhone Game Summit, all debuting on September 15-16, 2009 at the same venue.

Full listings of announced lectures, registration information, and other specifics are now available at the official GDC Austin website

Posted by Staff at 8:45 AM | Permalink

Hilmar Petursson, chief exec at EVE Online developer CCP, will be keynoting the upcoming Game Developers Conference Europe this August in Cologne, Germany, where he'll unveil the studio's next project.

The exec, who has been with Reykjavik, Iceland-based CCP since 2000, will deliver the keynote "CCP: Winning the War," a presentation centered on his company's growth.

The studio began in relative obscurity, but now lays claim to the space-faring MMORPG EVE Online, which surpassed 300,000 subscribers in May.

At GDC Europe, Petursson will exclusively reveal CCP's latest project, currently in pre-production.

"GDC Europe is gearing up to be one of the industry's most essential events. I am honored to have this opportunity to share some of the valuable lessons CCP has learned with such a prestigious audience," Petursson said.

According to the firm, CCP plans on an "extensive global expansion" as online gaming continues to proliferate in the market.

GDC Europe will take place August 17-19 this year in Cologne alongside the inaugural GamesCom trade/consumer game event, and more information is available via the official GDC Europe website.

Posted by Staff at 6:35 AM | Permalink

The Game Developers Conference Europe has teamed up with the European Games Developer Federation, Europe's trade body of game developers, in an effort to better address trends and political issues facing European game developers today.

Alongside more than 80 sessions, the results of this new cooperation will be seen at Europe's premier developer event, taking place August 17-19 at the Cologne Congress East Center in Cologne, Germany.

EGDF members will receive additional benefits through this alliance, which includes a 100 Euro discount on conference passes to GDC Europe.

"It is with great pleasure that I welcome the EGDF as a key partner for GDC Europe," said Frank Sliwka, VP of European Business Development of Think Services Game Group and Event Director, GDC Europe.

He called the "long term" partnership "a great opportunity to unite European game developers and is a reflection on our commitment to serve the interests of the European game development community and ensure their voices are heard."

"The EGDF's goals to further advance the European games development sector to be more globally competitive and recognized culturally fit perfectly with GDC Europe's objectives," added Dr. Malte Behrmann, General Secretary of EGDF.

GDC Europe, for which more information can be found on its official website, will be held in conjunction with the European consumer gaming event, gamescom.

Posted by Staff at 6:36 AM | Permalink

Organizers of this September's GDC Austin have announced its new iPhone Summit, following a similar revelation regarding the Indie Games Summit.

Initial information about the September 15th-16th iPhone Games Summit is available on the GDC Austin website, with organizers noting that the first day will discuss "the business, marketing, and key design tenets behind successful iPhone game development", before the second day "provides overviews and deep dives into technical aspects of developing on iPhone."

The Advisory Board for the Summit, which will be announcing its first speakers in the next few weeks, include local Austin-area iPhone developer Brian Greenstone, founder and president of Enigmo creator Pangea Software, as well as Snappy Touch's Noel Llopis, a Game Developer magazine columnist and creator of notable iPhone app Flower Garden.

Posted by Staff at 4:07 PM | Permalink